Things to Know Before Taking Your First Equestrian Trail Ride on Vacation
3 Essentials To Know Before Going On Your First Equestrian Trail Ride
There are few ways that are better than to immerse yourself in nature by going horseback riding. Going trail riding is exciting, exhilarating, and challenging. It’s a unique way to spend a family vacation.
It can be intimidating going to a ranch for a horseback riding trip for a first timer, however. Newbies feel like they don’t know how to control a horse and feel small on top of such a huge beast. What they fail to understand is that these horses are trained to allow first timers to ride them. In this article, we will go over some tips to help get you through the first time you go for an equestrian trail riding vacation.
1 – Wear the right gear
There’s a reason that cowboys dress the way that they do. It isn’t to create a fashion statement. Those clothes and accessories are all there for practical reasons. For instance, cowboy boots are good because they are close to and fit into a stirrup well so you have control. If you don’t want to wear cowboy boots then make sure that you wear some sturdy shoes with closed toes and sturdy material.
You also need to think about safety so make sure to wear riding helmets. Remember that most trails have rocky areas around and a fall could be bad news. It’s best to protect your head.
2 – Get to know your horse
At the beginning of your vacation you will be assigned a horse. They match the horses to the riders based on experience and physique and usually maintain the match throughout the vacation.
Once you know who your horse is going to be, make sure to spend some time getting to know it. Before the first ride, make sure to give it some caresses and talk in a gentle and reassuring manner. Then, when out on the first ride, make sure to be patient and get to know how the horse likes to do things.
Doing the grooming of the horse at the end of the ride is also a great way to create a bond so the rest of the trip will go smoothly. You’ll need the help of the groomer to make sure that you are doing things correctly, but be there to do it alongside them.
3 – Be confident
Even though you really don’t know what you are doing, you have to put yourself out there as confident so your horse doesn’t decide that it isn’t going to work with you. Be calm, but also make sure to stand your ground and not be intimidated.
Use body language that shows that you are the leader and that you are in control. You can practice getting on the horse on a saddle on a fence to see how it goes at first. This way when you mount up for the first time you can do so gracefully. Whatever you do, don’t appear to be uncomfortable or nervous as the animals will sense this and be uncomfortable themselves.
